Kincaid's Battery eBook

“Yass, ’m! ’caze ef us kin keep
’em anywahs it’ll be in de bes’ place
fo’ to see de mos’ sights!” She vanished
and Anna turned to the soldiers. Their flagging
had paused while they watched the far-away top-gallants
grow in height and numbers. Down in the works
the long-roll was sounding and from every direction
men were answering it at a run. Across the river
came bugle notes. Sighingly the sergeant lowered
his glass:

“Lordy, it’s the whole kit and b’ilin’!
Wag, John. When they swing up round this end
of the trees I’ll count ’em. Here
they come! One, ... two, ... why, what small—­oh,
see this big fellow! Look at the width of those
yards! And look at all their hulls, painted the
color of the river! And see that pink flutter—­look!”
he said to Anna, “do you get it? high up among
the black ropes? that pink—­”

“Yes,” said Anna solemnly, “I see
it—­”

“That’s the old—­”

“Yes. Must we fire on that? and fire first?”

“We’d better!” laughed the soldier,
“if we fire at all. Those chaps have got
their answer ready and there won’t be much to
say after it.” The three hurried down,
the men to camp, Anna to the upper front veranda.
There, save two or three with Constance and Miranda,
came all the servants, shepherded by Isaac and Ben
with vigilant eyes and smothered vows to “kill
de fuss he aw she niggeh dat try to skedaddle”;
came and stood to gaze with her over and between the
grove trees. Down in the fortification every
man seemed to have sprung to his post. On its
outer crest, with his adjutant, stood the gilded commander
peering through his glass.

“Yes,” said Anna carelessly, but mutely
praying that some one would make him get down.
Her brain teemed with speculations: Where, how
occupied and in what state of things, what frame of
mind, was Victorine, were Flora and Madame? Here
at Steve’s cottage with what details were ’Randa
and Connie busy? But except when she smiled round
on the slaves, her gaze, like theirs, abode on the
river and the shore defenses, from whose high staffs
floated brightly the Confederate flag. How many
a time in this last fearful year had her own Hilary,
her somewhere still living, laughing, loving Hilary,
stood like yon commander, about to deal havoc from,
and to draw it upon, Kincaid’s Battery.
Who would say that even now he might not be so standing,
with her in every throb of his invincible heart?

“We all of us must and will!” said Anna
elatedly, though with shameful inward sinkings and
with no sustaining word from any of the flock, while
out under the far gray sky, emerging from a slight
angle of the shore well down the water’s long
reach the battle line began to issue, each ship in
its turn debouching into full relief from main-truck
to water-line.